Me: Hey everybody! Sorry about forgetting to do the disclaimer in the last chapter.
Gidget: I don't want to be sued!
Me: You wouldn't be sued. I would.
Gidget: That's a relief. I'll go call Nickelodeon and report you.
Me: I think you're forgetting something.
Gidget: And what would that be.
Me: You can't hold the phone.
Gidget: Damn it. You're right. I hate not having thumbs.
Disclaimer: I'd trade Gidget for Avatar any day. I do own James, Sarah, and the nickel I found under the couch.
Airbender Island
"James attended Lizzie's funeral with me. The rest I will tell you another day."
"Why can't you tell us now?" Sokka asked the mysterious airbender.
"The time isn't right."
"When will the time be right?" Katara tried to pry the answer out of Sarah.
"I don't know."
"Well, I think that's enough memories for now." Katara told them, not quite satisfied with Sarah's answer. Sarah's stories had taken several hours and it was past noon.
"We should get going. We still have to get some more supplies." Sokka stated.
"Come to my village. There we can get supplies for free." Sarah said.
"I don't think that is such a good idea." Sokka was obviously still suspicious of Sarah.
"Why not?" Sarah challenged.
"My instincts tell me that you can't be trusted."
"Okay. I'll go back to my village. You've just passed up free supplies and food. Good luck on helping Aang save the world Sokka." Sarah opened the door of the hut and walked out.
"Sarah, wait!" Katara ran after her. Sarah stopped and waited for Katara to catch up.
"Sarah, please don't leave. Aang needs you. Don't leave because of what my idiotic brother said."
"We need to stop at my village. It's been a long time since they have had hope and I know that seeing the Avatar will give it back to them." Tears fell off of her face as she spoke.
"We should go back." Sarah nodded and wiped away her tears.
"Are you okay Sarah?" Aang asked when they got back.
"I'm fine Aang. We should go to my village. Like I said, we can get free food and supplies there."
"Where do you live anyway?" Aang asked.
"My village is located on a small island. All that is left of the Air Nomads live there."
"There are more airbenders?" Aang asked with his eyes full of hope.
"No. We're the last. Those who live there can't bend."
"We should get going." Katara said. Aang called Appa and the all climbed on top. They left the island that they were on, but little did they know that someone saw them and followed.
"My village has yet to be discovered by the Fire Nation. We'll be safe there." Sarah told them not long after they had left.
"Sarah, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course Aang."
"When the Fire Nation attacked the Air Temples, did they kill everyone?"
"No Aang. After I heard that you had run away I went to the Temple you had lived at. I spent three years looking for you. That's when the Fire Nation attacked."
"What happened?" Katara and Sokka kept silent as Aang asked his questions.
"Not long after I got back from my search Fire Nation soldiers appeared. We weren't prepared. They had been our allies since I had dated James. I don't know why I expected them to still be our allies."
"Why not?"
"I sort of dropped out of existence after you disappeared. They attacked quickly. I was rushed to the temple. I snuck away from my guards and went to fight. I couldn't let everyone fight while I was safe in the Temple. I ran into some of your friends. They were scared and had just escaped the battle. They told me that we had lost. I took them to the bison and we flew away. Several days later we found the Airbender Island. No one there was a bender so there was no army that we could create to fight back. Three weeks later we went to each of the Air Temples." Sarah was shaking as she sobbed at what she told them. These were not memories she wanted to relive.
"What did you find?"
"Everyone was dead. Not even the children had been spared. Your friends and I were the last airbenders. We all wanted revenge but there were only about twenty of us. We wouldn't have stood a change against the Fire Nation's armies so we decided to devote our time and energy to protecting the Air Nomads on Airbender Island."
"What happened to my friends?"
"They all died whether it was because they fought in a battle against the Fire Nation with the Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe and were killed or they died of old age."
"We're approaching an island." Sokka stated.
Sarah looked over the edge and exclaimed, "That's Airbender Island." Soon after, they landed.
They were greeted with spears and swords pointed at them but when the villagers saw Sarah, they were lowered.
"Queen Sarah!" the children called as they ran up to her. She hugged each of them and told them how much she missed them.
After she was finished she stood up and said, "I would like to introduce my little brother Aang, the Avatar."
Joy rang through the crowd at these words. Aang, Katara, and Sokka were given rooms in Sarah's house and new clothes to wear while their old ones were being mended.
Later that evening the four companions sat around the table for dinner in their newly mended clothes.
"Are you happy that we stopped here now Sokka?" Sarah teased.
"I guess." It was almost impossible to distinguish what he had said but somehow Sarah knew.
"Queen Sarah!" A soldier burst through the door.
"What is it?"
"A Fire Nation ship has been spotted just off shore of the beach past the forest."
"No, that's not possible. How did they find us?"
"They must have followed Appa." Aang said.
"What will we do Milady?"
"Get ready to fight. Get the women and children to safety and prepare for battle." Sarah ordered.
"Yes Milady." He ran out of the house.
"Katara, I need you to take Aang and your brother with the women and children. I'll go out to meet them."
"We're going with you Sarah." Aang insisted.
"No Aang. The world needs you. The people of this island need you.'
"The people need you Sarah, not me. You've led them for years. You've always protected them and I'm not going to let you get killed."
"We're going with you Sarah." Sokka said.
"Do you mean it Sokka? You'd really help me protect this island?" Sokka's words had touched Sarah's heart.
"Would I say that we're going with you if I didn't mean it?" They all hugged.
"We have to keep them away from the village. I won't let them destroy the rest of my people. Aang, take Appa and fly away from the island. Make sure that they see that you are on Appa. Katara, I'll need you to help me keep them away from the island. You can bend the water and I'll use my airbending to send it to the ship. Sokka, I need you to stay with me and Katara in case they make it to the shore." They all nodded and ran outside.
The village was chaos. Women were running everywhere, grabbing their children and heading in the opposite direction of the ship. Aang jumped on Appa and flew towards the ship as Katara, Sokka, and Sarah ran into the forest. They ran past the trees and found themselves at the beach. Katara sent a wave of water and Sarah used the air to send it at the ship. The ship kept advancing on the island. No matter what Aang did the ship kept its course.
Sarah abandoned her airbending and began to waterbend with Katara. Nothing they did helped.
"Katara, we have to keep them away from the island. I've kept my people out of this war for 100 years and I'm not about to let them get dragged into it now." Sarah shouted over the sound of the thunder that came with the storm that was just beginning.
"Sarah, it's a lost cause. Even Aang is coming back. The storm is too rough and nothing we do is affecting the ship." Katara pulled Sarah into the forest as little boats were launched from the ship.
Me: This happened right after the four companions set out for Airbender Island.
"Prince Zuko! The Avatar has been spotted!" A soldier burst through the door to the dining room where Iroh, Zuko, and James ate lunch.
Zuko jumped up and ordered, "Follow him." The soldier bowed and left.
Not long after the order another soldier entered Zuko's room and reported, "We've spotted another Fire Nation ship not far ahead of us, Prince Zuko."
"No! Zhao can't be ahead of us. He just can't be."
"Zuko, what's going on?" James asked as he entered his great-nephew's room.
"Zhao is ahead of us." At these words James dismissed the guards and sat on Zuko's bed.
"This isn't good. We can't let him capture the Avatars."
"What do you mean Avatars? There's only one."
"I meant Avatar. When you're 116 you tend to make things plural."
"Okay." Zuko was suspious of his uncle.
All of a sudden the ship was hit in the side by a wave and caused Zuko to fall.
"Prince Zuko, there's a bad storm. The captain wants to know if we turn around or not." The soldier from before said.
"We stay on course. Head for the island." Zuko was shocked when James gave the command. Unfortunately, the ship ahead of them was already launching boats to go ashore.
Me: You guys are lucky. I'm sick and I got on the computer to finish this chapter.
Gidget: I'm even being nice to her because she's been sick for three days.
Sarah: How could you have me give up? I need to protect my people!
Me: Stop yelling. I already have a headache. Just wait until the next chapter.
Gidget: R'n'R